Manhole cover securing means



Feb. 19, 1952 R. HITSCHMANN 2,586,465

MANHOLE COVER SECURING MEANS Filed April 5, 1947 FlG.3

Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application April 5, 1947, Serial No. 739,548 In Ireland May 7, 1946 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-259) My invention relates to means for securing and tightening in place the cover or door of a manhole or similar opening in the wall of a vat, tank, or like vessel. The invention has for one of its main objects the provision .of a new and improved construction which will enable the door or cover to be more expeditiously secured and will more effectively ensure a staunch joint between the vessel and the cover than is possible with hitherto known constructions.

For closing openings of the kind referred to it is already known to provide means consisting of a cover having a channelled flange projecting beyond the sides of the opening and provided with suitable packing material, and securing said cover in position by means of one or more T-shaped straps having a cam-shaped or eccentric projection and so supported in suitable bearings that by rotating the said T-shaped strap or straps the cam-shaped portion or portions thereof press the cover against the sides of the opening.

The present invention is characterised in that the aforesaid means comprise one or more round bars traversing the opening in the wall of the vessel, said bars being freely supported in bearings secured to the wall of the vessel at opposite ends of the opening; on each round bar are seated one or more rotatable conical members, whose diameter is greater than that of the bar, each of said members, when being pressed in the axial direction of the round bar comes into contact along the whole width of a correspondingly tapered transverse surface of a flat bar, which in turn is secured to the outside of the cover and at right angles to the round bar or bars and has its ends adapted to be supported on the vessel wall. Thus, the cover will be pressed tightly into position. On any one round bar the conical member or members may be slidably carried, or one such member may be formed integrally with the bar whilst the other or others is or are slidable thereon.

The invention is further characterised in that each conical member is formed with its axis eccentric to and parallel with the round bar on which it is seated or carried and forms thus a longitudinal tapering cam surface which upon rotation enables further pressure to be applied to the flat bar on the cover when brought into contact therewith as aforementioned.

One embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows in elevation the securing means according to the invention, as applied to a cover positioned in the opening of the wall of a vat.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line A--A of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is, on an enlarged scale, a fragmentary vertical section taken on line B-B of Fig. 1

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, on the wall I (Fig. 2) of the vat and at opposite ends of the opening 2 therein there are secured the bearings 3 and 4 which may conveniently be angle irons suitably shaped and holed and which carry rotatably and slidably a round bar 5. On this bar 5 are the conical members 6 and 1 whose diameters are greater than the diameter of the round bar 5. Each conical member is formed with its longitudinal axis eccentric to and parallel with the axis of the round bar 5, as best seen in the enlarged scale section in Fig. 3 in which the conical member 6 is shown as contacting with the flat bar II] but with its cam surface resulting from its axial eccentricityon bar 5 not yet utilised. In the example given the conical member 6 is formed integrally with the bar 5 while the member I is separately formed and is slidable along the said bar, as indicated by dotted lines, numeral 1' (Figs. 1 and 2) when out of the contacting position.

The opening 2 is closed by the cover 8 the periphery of which tapers inwardly towards the vat and bears on packing material 9, e. g. a rubber ring, resting in a groove formed around th periphery of the opening 2.

Two flat bars [0 and II at suitable distance apart are secured to the outside of cover 8 to lie thereon at a right angle to the round bar 5. They are preferably secured by means of bolts passing through packing pieces l2, l2 and 13, I3 inserted between the aforesaid flat bars and the cover so as to leave a small clear space between those parts as indicated by numeral l4,

in Fig. 3. These flat bars may however be secured directly to the cover without the use of such packing pieces, if desired. The bars l0 and l I extend beyond the edges of the opening 2, their upper ends are perforated to engage and rest, respectively, on projecting pins 15 and I6 whilst their lower ends are adapted to engage in brackets l5 and I6 respectively, in such a manner that the cover 8 can be lifted into and out of position as required. The attachments consisting of projecting pins [5 and I6 and the corresponding brackets I5 and I6 are secured to the wall I by any suitable known means. Each fiat bar [0, H is so held to the cover that it presents an outer suface tapering in transverse direction thereto to correspond with the taper of the conical members and I. This may be best effected by driving thin wedges between the cover and the flat bars to tilt one longitudinal edge of each of the latter the required extent, or by machining the packing pieces l2, l2, l3, l3 to the necessary taper.

When the conical members 5 and l are pressed into close contact with the Whole width of the flat bars ii! and H respectively, after these members were slid along the bar 5, as, for example from the dotted position of the slidable member I to the full line position, or by pushing bar5 longitudinally within its bearings 3 and A, as, for example, when a fixed member 6 is employed, the pressure exerted by these conical members on the cover 8 will press the same inwardly and secure it tightly in position and against the packing material 9.

Means H, 18 in conjunction with any suitable bar (not shown) engaging the same facilitatev moving or sliding the conical members 6 lengths wise of bar 5 and also for rotating said members when brought into full contact with the flat bars it and H, in order to bring their cam or tapered surfaces into action against said bars ill, H.

1 Thus increased pressure will become eifective to thereby materially assisting in tightening still more the cover. Such means may consist of twov spaced holes I? and 18 having their axes at right angles to each other and arranged at the larger end of the conically formed member 6, these holes serving for the reception of a lever bar (not shown). The slidable member 7 having appropriately disposed flat faces at its larger end is suitable for engagement with the forked end of a lever (not shown) The integrally formed conical member 6 may be provided instead of with holes ll, 18 with flat faces similar to those of the slidable member 7.

While in the foregoing construction the round bar is shown positioned horizontally and the fiat bars vertically, the relative positions may be reversed, or again both bars may be positioned at an angle to the horizontal and vertical lines,

respectively. Further while only one. round bar and two conical members are shown, two or more round bars may be employed each provided with one or more conical members; the number of fiat bars on the cover being equal to the greatest number of the conical members on any one bar. Though the invention has been particularly de-, scribed and illustrated in its application to the door or cover of a vat manhole it is obvious that the construction may be equally Well applied to the cover closing the opening in a tank or like vessel, without departing from the characteristic features of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device for securing and tightening the cover or door of a manhole in the wall of a vat, tank, and like vessel; comprising, in combination, at least one round bar traversing the manhole in the vessel, bearings for said bar secured to said wall of said vessel at opposite ends of said manhole; at least one conical member seated on said round bar, the diameter of said member being greater than that of the bar on which said member is seated and having it axis eccentric to and parallel with the axis of said round bar, and at least one fiat bar secured to said cover and presenting an outer surface transversely tapered to correspond with the taper of said conical member, said member being slidable in axial direction of the round bar and adapted to be positioned on the outside of the cover at right angles to said flat bar against which said member may be pressed thereby causing the cover to be tightly secured in place at said manhole.

2. A device for securing and tightening the cover or door according to claim 1, wherein a further conical member is arranged on said round, bar and spaced from and slidable relatively to said one conical member.

3. A device for securing and tightening the cover or door of a' manhole in the wall of a vat, tank and like vessel; comprising, in combination, at least one round bar traversing the manhole in the vessel, respective bearings secured to said wall at opposite ends of said manhole to support said round bar; a plurality of conical members of greater diameter than that of said round bar positioned on the latter and having their axes eccentric to and parallel with the axis of said round bar, at least one of said members being rotatable onsaid bar, means provided on said one member to facilitate rotation thereof; tapered bars secured to the cover and arranged to extend at right angles to said round bar, said tapered bars being transversely tapered to correspond with the taper of said conical members, said one conical member being adapted to bear against the tapered portion of said tapered bars, the ends of said tapered bars being extended beyond said manhole, and respective attachments on the vessel Wall for removably engaging said tapered bars.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein a second conical member is fixedly connected to said round bar and spaced from said one member.

RICHARD HITSCHMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 401,574 Murphy Apr. 16, 1889 1,226,080 Kelly May 15, 1917 1,319,610 Norling Oct. 21, 1919 

